15,000 bits of information received about missing boy William Tyrrell

Armed with rakes, hoes and a chainsaw, police started day one of what will be a four-week “forensic” search for William Tyrrell - the three-year-old who disappeared in 2014 while playing in his grandmother’s front yard on the NSW mid-north coast.

Fifty officers from the public order and riot squad will spend the month concentrated on three kilometres of scrubby, hilly bushland off Benaroon Drive in Kendall only a few hundred metres from where William was last seen.

The officer in charge of the investigation, the homicide squad's Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin, said police had received 15,000 pieces of information since the then three-year-old disappeared on September 12, 2014.

But he would not say if any new information had led police to return to the Kendall township to carry out a new search.

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Instead he said police had returned to carry out a different, more "forensic" type of search than when William first vanished when the focus was on finding a missing boy.

“I’m not going to say it was a particular piece of information that brought us here,” he said.

“It’s reasonable to draw the conclusion that William’s disappearance was the result of human intervention and not misadventure.”

Asked if police still had hope William could be alive, Chief Inspector Jubelin said: “We have grave fears and it’s been a very long time.”

The Where's William Tyrrell? Bring Him Home official Facebook page on Wednesday said the little boy's "loved ones are, and will forever forever be indebted to the tremendous ongoing commitment of NSW Police; in particular, Strike Force Rosann".

"Today marks 1370 heartbreaking days since William disappeared," the post said. "Since that tragic day on Friday 12 September 2014, hearts across Australia have been broken, but we have and will continue to maintain unwavering faith in NSW Police and carry hope in our hearts that William will be found. He is in our hearts always… Always…"

Police on Wednesday scoured about 600 square metres of the three square kilometres they will focus on over the next month.

Detective Inspector Jubelin said the original 10-day search, which covered about 18 kilometres and involved hundreds of emergency service personnel and volunteers was sufficient to address the concerns at the time, he said.

"I don’t want criticism of the original search, the original search was for a little boy lost,” he said.

He said police would be documenting the areas that they search to be put before either a coronial or criminal court.

"Although four years have elapsed, police remain hopeful that there is still evidence to be found," Chief Inspector Jubelin said.

"Time is not a barrier, in my experience."

Police commenced a large-scale forensic search in bushlands today as part of the ongoing investigation into the 2014 disappearance of William Tyrrell.Credit:Louise Kennerley

Police have previously said they were looking at the possible involvement of an active paedophile ring on the Mid-North Coast.

Chief Inspector Jubelin said that had still not been totally ruled out.

“Until this matter is solved, we keep all lines of inquiry open,” he said.

Chief Inspector Jubelin said it was possible William's disappearance would be subjected to a public coronial inquest at some stage but he would not be drawn on when.

Police forming a search line during a forensic search in bushland near Kendall.Credit:Louise Kennerley

In 2016, the state government offered an unprecedented $1 million in reward money for information that led to William's recovery.